Image of a camp for displaced ‘Israeli refugees’ is AI-generated

By: Arron Williams
October 26 2023

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Source: X (formerly Twitter)

Context

On October 7, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip into surrounding Israeli communities, killing residents and tourists. In response to the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was now at war with Hamas and conducted multiple airstrikes in Gaza. According to the Associated Press, on October 19, the death toll passed 4,000, thousands have been wounded on both sides, and more than 423,000 Gazans have been displaced.

Misinformation related to the Israel-Hamas war has swept across social media. One image circulating on X (formerly Twitter) shows rows of blue and white tents, including a tent with the Star of David on the side and groups of people. 

Image being shared widely (Source: Twitter)

Captions and tweets alongside the image claim it shows a camp for displaced Israeli refugees. One Arabic tweet – translated via Google Translate – shared the image and stated, “For the first time since 1948, camps for Israelis displaced from settlements near the port of Eilat!!”

In fact

The image is AI-generated and does not depict a real camp for displaced Israelis. Through closer analysis of the image, there are a few details that show the image is AI-generated.

The biggest tell that the image is AI generated is the flag, circled in the image below. The Israeli flag features one Star of David in the center. However, in this image the flag contains two Stars of David. Also, the stars are warped and do not match the original shape of the star.

Comparison between the Israel flag in the AI-generated image and the real Israel flag. (Source: Twitter/Wikimedia Commons/Altered by Logically Facts)

Certain people in the image have warped and distorted proportions and appearances, likely due to AI difficulties in generating images of people. This mainly includes distortion of the legs or head of the generated person, while other people appear narrow and incorrectly shaped. These observable distortions highlight that the image is AI-generated. 

Close-up analysis of distorted 'people' in the AI-generated image. (Source: Twitter/Altered by Logically Facts)

Other general items in the image also have obstructions or distortions to them that, alongside the other evidence mentioned, highlight the AI-generated nature of the image. This includes a strange cluster of poles or street lights in the background that go out to sea and how the tents in the top right of the image merge together and have a kind of pale dusty sheen to them. 

To tackle misinformation spread via AI-generated images, Logically Facts has created a written guide on how to detect AI-generated images and the various tells that can be spotted to show an image was likely created by AI.

The Verdict

The image does not show camps for displaced Israelis; it is AI-generated. Therefore, we have marked the claim as fake.